Highlights From 2020

“The program showed me not to settle for things that have been going on for years, but to take action. Get some people together, come up with ideas, and go attack it, so you can see change for yourself and for people in the future.”

Andrew Muange, BSU Member, David Douglas High School

Welcome to Change

While it’s true that the last 12 months have tested us all--and impacted some much more than others--it’s also true that the challenges of 2020 facilitated incredible movement forward, and change that can continue long after years’ end.

At Construct, we began the year looking at our long-term goals and how to fill gaps in our services. By the middle of March 2020, we were in a full redesign in response to the pandemic, to deliver the tools and skills that we knew would help educators in our network to employ innovative responses to system-level concerns that defied all previous ‘system’ parameters.

We were deeply inspired by the investigations, hard conversations, and the boundary-breaking in 2020. Out of turmoil, human societies have adapted and iterated into better opportunities and brighter futures.

Take a look back with us at the moments of the last year that we’re celebrating, and those we’re bringing with us into 2021, making sure that better opportunities and futures include everyone.

(January)

The Billions Institute’s Skid Row School for Unleashing Large Scale Social Change-- Professional Development for Construct team. At the Billions, we critically and creatively investigated all the ways in which we function in the educational space, developed our aims for growth, and uncovered the gaps to scaling with our best possible chance to succeed. One of our key aims: transfer the skills of design, identifying equitable deeper learning conditions and competencies & using a change framework for educators through expanding communities of practice.

(March 9)

Pitch Day Showcase Event

We hosted the Future of Oregon Transportation Pitch Showcase at OMSI with our partners PGE, PacificCorp, and Trimet. At this standing-room-only event, 6 middle school teams--180+ students!--presented their solutions to questions of crucial relevance to their generation: Considering the environmental impact of fossil fuels, what transportation electrification problems might YOU be able to solve? Teachers, principals, and parents came from Bend, Newberg, Dallas, and Oregon City to attend the event. Final Concepts PDF.

(June)

Superintendent Event - 30 leaders from across Oregon

June School Leader Event

We engaged another 30 new district superintendents in a virtual forum to share how Construct supports leaders using human-centered design to inspire teams to collaborate and create better experiences for students. For this group, we are working to deliver the full School Retool experience in January 2021. We will engage these leaders in a high-fidelity, virtual School Retool Fellowship, to help them rebuild and retool their school cultures and communities, while addressing the current and ongoing conditions.

(July)

Expanded our team -- We welcomed Danya Rose-Merkle, our new Dir Operations and Strategic Partnerships. Danya’s current priority is to connect industry partners with our design challenge services for schools --when she’s not helping with project management and building systems to support strategy and Construct going to scale! Danya is both passionate and experienced in the world of social impact, and we are thrilled to have her with us!

(August)

Design Week Portland - Equity Centered Design Challenge, David Douglas HS Black Student Union. Construct presented Reimagining Schools: Student Voice in Equity-Centered Design Work as part of Design Week Portland 2020. Led by members of the Black Student Union from David Douglas High School, the event was an opportunity for the students to share how they tackled the challenge: “How might we improve the experience for black students in high school?” They shared their reflections, design process, and prototypes with an audience of educators and designers. They held the room’s attention for a full hour, and gained the knowledge that they can truly be drivers of change in their world.

Watch the BSU solution concepts presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcsp31hivKU&feature=emb_logo

(August)

Hacktivation Station

Hacktation Station for 35 School Retool Fellows and their teams. This cohort included Principals and teacher teams from Oregon City, Newberg, Salem Keizer, Bend La Pine, and Gladstone. The program gave our principals the time to practice with their teams, the art of leading a culture of innovation and equitable deeper learning, and the confidence to deliver this leadership onsite.

(August)

Brand Redesign and New Website Launch -- Besides a rebrand effort and a new website launch, we worked with Evolve Collaborative, a Portland-based design and innovation company to map out, build, and launch all of our digital assets, and ensure enhanced connectivity in support of all of our collaborators. With their help, the move to an online platform for student design challenges and educator professional development isn’t missing a beat of inspiration, partnership, or desired outcomes.

(October)

Virtual Redesign of School Retool with partners Mike Strong and Morgan Vien-- Two new talents have joined the Construct coaching team for the long-term and revised School Retool for a virtual environment, a re-design that will support countless leaders across Oregon Education. Mike has been an incredible partner in Coaching, Curriculum Development, and Teacher Training and plays a key role in multiple Construct projects in 2020/21. Morgan Alconcher-Vien, Deeper Learning Coach for Envision Learning Partners, former principal from Oakland, CA, and facilitator of design thinking as a School Retool Coach for Stanford’s d.school.

(November)

Meyer Grant to Expand the Equity-Centered Design Challenge to Gresham, Parkrose, and Faubion/PPS -Thanks in part to a grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust, we are currently delivering to the Parkrose school district, Gresham high school, Oregon City High School, Gladstone High School, Sunset High School the educational equity project: The Future of Equitable Schools Student Design Challenge. This challenge helps students of color, their white allies, and BIPOC educators to center their voices and experiences on campus, while also equipping them with the critical skills of the change-maker. Alongside our school partners, we are catalyzing and accelerating a culture of equitable deeper learning in the North and East County regions.

Equity-Centered Design Camp for Teachers having trained with the National Equity Project and High Tech High over the summer, Construct lead facilitator, Erin Bray, developed Intro to Equity Centered Design for teachers as a companion to

With Gratitude!

Our deepest gratitude to the incredible donors that supported us through 2020, and those partnering with us as we enter 2021, including: